I’ve been cynical in the past about “”All Star” groups, but Tambolero from The Jazz on the Latin Side All Stars changed my mind. This album includes a definitive grouping of Los Angeles’ top notch Latin Jazz musicians that takes the “All Star” concept to a whole new level. The album is full of tasteful arrangements that respect both the jazz and Latin music traditions. The musicians are spotlighted appropriately and their performances avoid exaggerated displays of virtuosity; instead, they use their musical abilities to serve the song. There are passages that require some extreme technical ability, but they are simply sections, not the whole song. Overall, the recording presents Latin Jazz experts challenging themselves through deeply engaging musical settings. I’m a believer in “All Star” groupings once again, and as a result, Tambolero has remained on constant iPod rotation for me.

Now my only problem is that I can’t get enough - I don’t just want to hear the album, I want to see these guys perform this music live. If they captured that much musicality in a recording studio I can only imagine what they can create live. This group involves several busy musicians, several with their own groups. That’s the issue when you pull together a group of bandleaders to record an album; you can never get them all in the same place again! Well, that’s not completely true. Since these are all musicians based in Los Angeles, they can gather for performances locally. Unfortunately I don’t live in Los Angeles and I’m not close enough for a quick trip. Hopefully, they’ll make the trip up to Northern California for a San Francisco gig. While I wait for a potential Jazz on the Latin Side All Stars tour to promote Tambolero, I’ve found a few videos from a recent Los Angeles performance.

Enjoy!

Yes or No

The Last Bullfighter, Part 1

The Last Bullfighter, Part 2

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